Toronto Aquabella at Bayside | 50.9m | 14s | Tridel | 3XN

StealthyArrow said:
I believe he was asking if there was anymore information on the site behind that new fence that went up just east to T3 :). From reading different threads on Bayside, it seems other than knowing this will be city built affordable housing, there's not much else we know at this point. No thread was made, and there was also no renderings, at least from what I have found from any thread on Bayside. I hope this helps you and @DSC! :). Of course anybody can correct me if there is more that I do not know.

Edit: This post from 2018 seems to be the last update on the project. https://urbantoronto.ca/forum/threa...el-pelli-clark-pelli-et-al.10792/post-1354511
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Yes, those were my questions. So, it is the city's affordable block but we have no info. Thanks. Does the new fence mean something is happening with that project or are they just using the block for staging etc for one of the adjacent blocks?
 
DSC said:
Yes, those were my questions. So, it is the city's affordable block but we have no info. Thanks. Does the new fence mean something is happening with that project or are they just using the block for staging etc for one of the adjacent blocks?
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It was used for staging already for I believe either Aqualuna or T3, but it seems the construction equipment has mostly dissapeared along with the site office for Aqualuna the other month or so, so there is definitely a possibility that this site is progressing, with the site being secured and fenced off as well. I would not be suprised if some sort of documents and renderings pop up later this year, but ultimately we would have to wait and see.
 
I will never forgive Waterfront Toronto for that road on the right-hand side of your last picture. At best it's a useless and unnecessary thoroughway between east and west sides of the Bayside area (unnecessary because there's already a connecting road behind it, Edgewater Drive, so it doesn't provide vehicular access to anything), and at worst it's a parking lot (in addition to the cars parked in the actual streetparking, every time I go by there's cars illegally parked and/or idling all along the corner facing the water, a couple of which can be seen in the above picture - I've even seen a car parked on the boardwalk here). We've worked hard to replace Toronto's waterfront surface parking lots, and in this case we've replaced it with....waterfront surface parking. There's no other place along the waterfront - east or west - that has a street directly on waterfront. Why in the world did we think it was a good idea to add here?

How about we install bollards at either end to pedestrianize the street, and then fill the street with permanent public art pieces every ~20 meters? Picnic tables or patios for nearby restaurants can fill the gaps between the art. That'd be a relatively low cost solution that would create a unique space along the waterfront for.
 
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Further to my above post, I've found out (as a result of a picture posted in the Quayside thread, which I've attached below) that this is even more ridiculous than I first thought. The portion of Aitken Place Park that runs alongside Aquabella is going to be another road! See "Kanadario Lane" in the picture below. Not just another road, but a road that leads to absolutely nowhere. There is absolutely no need for that road. All it does is take away space from what is already a small park (that often has children running around in it due to the playground as well). I hope Waterfront Toronto sees this and takes action to change it to tree-lined walkway or literally anything other than a road.

I always try to be measured with my opinions and posts, but this just seems so egregious and gets me so fired up for some reason. Instead of having a beautiful, pedestrian waterfront - which by all measures is proper urban planning and is what makes a great waterfront - we are filling it with roads and cars. We didn't even make that mistake with the west side of Queens Quay in the 80s and 90s, but somehow we've done it now, even while we're trying to pedestrianize other parts of the city (e.x. Yonge St, King St). Just ridiculous. And Waterfront Toronto looks to be repeating the exact same mistake further east at the Parliament Slip and 3C site: first with "Street D" taking up park space and going right beside what is supposed to be a grand cultural institution, and again with a road labelled "Promenade Rd" along the waterfront at the 3C site. Instead of making a promenade into an actual promenade, they're turning it into a road and then naming it after a promenade.

Just so, so disappointing.
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Star Fox said:
Further to my above post, I've found out (as a result of a picture posted in the Quayside thread, which I've attached below) that this is even more ridiculous than I first thought. The portion of Aitken Place Park that runs alongside Aquabella is going to be another road! See "Kanadario Lane" in the picture below. Not just another road, but a road that leads to absolutely nowhere. There is absolutely no need for that road. All it does is take away space from what is already a small park (that often has children running around in it due to the playground as well). I hope Waterfront Toronto sees this and takes action to change it to tree-lined walkway or literally anything other than a road.

I always try to be measured with my opinions and posts, but this just seems so egregious and gets me so fired up for some reason. Instead of having a beautiful, pedestrian waterfront - which by all measures is proper urban planning and is what makes a great waterfront - we are filling it with roads and cars. We didn't even make that mistake with the west side of Queens Quay in the 80s and 90s, but somehow we've done it now, even while we're trying to pedestrianize other parts of the city (e.x. Yonge St, King St). Just ridiculous. And Waterfront Toronto looks to be repeating the exact same mistake further east at the Parliament Slip and 3C site: first with "Street D" taking up park space and going right beside what is supposed to be a grand cultural institution, and again with a road labelled "Promenade Rd" along the waterfront at the 3C site. Instead of making a promenade into an actual promenade, they're turning it into a road and then naming it after a promenade.

Just so, so disappointing.
View attachment 322887
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Not true at all. That is a "lane", no vehicle access will be allowed between Aquabella and Aiken Park. It is a tree lined lane with access to the West lobby and the townhomes. The detailed plans for the project lay all of this out.

You seem pretty triggered.
 
I readily admit I'm triggered - and as mentioned, I don't normally get hot and bothered about this stuff, but it just seems to be such obviously poor urban planning for a waterfront in this day and age that I can't comprehend the thought process (and I'm normally a strong supporter of Waterfront Toronto).

In terms of the "lane", I certainly hope you are correct, but the most recent plans referenced on Waterfront Toronto's website (being from a community consultation presentation dated July 9, 2015) shows that it is a road lined by bollards and accessible by vehicles (see, for example, pages 3 and 27).
 
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DSC said:
Yes, those were my questions. So, it is the city's affordable block but we have no info. Thanks. Does the new fence mean something is happening with that project or are they just using the block for staging etc for one of the adjacent blocks?
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Interesting! Have you looked up the plans included from the Aquabella approvals? They included more recent details on this lane - including the trees that will be added and townhome gardens fronting their lane entrance.
 
TheSix said:
Interesting! Have you looked up the plans included from the Aquabella approvals? They included more recent details on this lane - including the trees that will be added and townhome gardens fronting their lane entrance.
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Thanks, I saw the renderings but this (fenced) block is a totally different project (affordable housing) with, as yet, no UT thread.
 
TheSix said:
Sooo sorry! I made the mistake of replying to the wrong message. I was replying to Star Fox about the lane just west of Aquabella.
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Thanks TheSix and WeirdFishes - I can't seem to find the site plan for Aquabella on the development application site, but sounds like the lane within Aitken Place Park is no longer part of the plan, so I'll gladly shelve my disbelief about that (although, hard to believe they even proposed a lane in there). The remainder of my statement stands - they seem to be making the same mistake over to the east with the roads in Silo Park/cultural institution and 3C Waterfront.
 
Star Fox said:
Thanks TheSix and WeirdFishes - I can't seem to find the site plan for Aquabella on the development application site, but sounds like the lane within Aitken Place Park is no longer part of the plan, so I'll gladly shelve my disbelief about that (although, hard to believe they even proposed a lane in there). The remainder of my statement stands - they seem to be making the same mistake over to the east with the roads in Silo Park/cultural institution and 3C Waterfront.
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Here is some further info on the plan for the trees, etc. Not much room for cars ;)

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